Dorothy and I landed in Raleigh this morning for a meeting, and when I turned on my Blackberry, I found a voicemail message waiting for me. The caller said he had some bad news and that I should call him right away. I did and learned that one of our former Glow Worm employees, Jorge Castrillon, passed away last night. Jorge, for those who didn't know him, was very young--still in his twenties-- and one of the most exuberant, boisterous, and good-natured people I've ever met. The kind of person who was so full of life, it's impossible to imagine him in death. Even now. Because we were so focused on the business at hand today, we haven't had the chance yet to let it fully sink in. But as tragic as this news was, it was also interesting to see how it reached many of the people who knew and cared about him: via Facebook. They saw the eulogies left by others on his page, then left their own. To be seen by others. And others. The social network as disseminator of news, healer of the wounded. We'll miss you, Jorge.
-Mark
The world wobbles little more ominously without Jorge.
ReplyDeleteMark, quite a poignant post - about the delightful and exciting guy that is Jorge, and about the means in which most of us, including myself, were able to inform and comfort ourselves in times of grief: Facebook. It is a new paradigm.
ReplyDelete-Andrew
Jorge was quite a loss. I never saw the guy when he wasnt laughing or listening to Mariah Carey. Addiction is an awful disease. He's found peace now
ReplyDeleteI knew him along while ago when he went to Stuyvesant and later I even visited him @ Cornell. Can someone get back to me and fill me in cause I was very shocked as I was his first bf,
ReplyDeleteI am a former classmate of his as well and hope to find out more details. I only read about his passing in our high school alumni newsletter and was shocked by the news....
ReplyDeletejust read about his passing in the alumni newsletter as well. is there any more information?
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of us who got the alumni newsletter in the past couple of days are shocked to hear about his passing. Just 29 years old - addiction?
ReplyDeleteMay he RIP.
Shocking to hear about the death of someone so full of life. As a fellow Stuy and Cornell classmate and friend, I am so sad to hear this terrible news, and I am thankful to have experienced Jorge's smile, great humor and warm heart.
ReplyDeleteI also saw the obituary in the alumni newsletter and was shocked. I went to junior high and high school with Jorge. Looking back, I cannot recall a time when Jorge wasn't smiling and jovial. This is very sad news indeed.
ReplyDeleteSadness
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